In 2022, the world witnessed a series of major disasters that caused widespread destruction, destroying homes and communities, and in some cases, claiming lives.
Here’s a look back at some of the biggest natural disasters in the United States and around the world in 2022:
SUBMARINE VOLCANIC ERUPTION IN THE PACIFIC OCEAN
On January 15, 2022, an underwater volcano erupted in the South Pacific near the Kingdom of Tonga island. The eruption triggered tsunami warnings for the archipelago and even as far away as the west coast of the United States.
An umbrella cloud generated by the underwater eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano on January 15, 2022.
(NASA Earth Observatory image by Joshua Stevens using GOES images courtesy of NOAA and NESDIS)
Surveillance flights by the New Zealand and Australian Defense Forces showed significant damage to houses, roads, water, tanks and other infrastructure along the west coast of Tongatapu. Seismologists said it was one of the largest eruptions recorded since Krakatoa in 1883.
CALIFORNIA EARTHQUAKE CLAIMS TWO LIVES, INJURES 11 OTHERS
FLOODS IN PAKISTAN KILL MORE THAN 1,700 PEOPLE
Record flooding swept through Pakistan between June and October, washing away thousands of homes and killing at least 1,739 people.
Government estimates of damage were at least $30 billion, as crops, highways, pathways, livestock, bridges, homes, schools, and medical facilities were washed away.
People in Pakistan fight their way through flooded streets after monsoon rains triggered flash floods in Hyderabad, Pakistan on Wednesday, August 24, 2022.
(AP Photo/Pervez Masih)
Nearly 8 million people were displaced, homeless and without adequate medical care. Many of them were living outdoors exposed to diseases such as malaria, diarrhoea, dengue fever, severe skin and eye infections, cholera, dog and snake bites, all of which are spreading rapidly amid stagnant flooding that according to authorities, will take several months to disappear. .
MASSIVE WILDFIRES IN CALIFORNIA
Although comparatively more moderate than in previous years, a series of wildfires swept through California between January and October. Cal Fire estimates that there were about 7,592 total incidents with an estimated 362,271 acres burned and nine fatalities. More than 100 structures were damaged and approximately 772 were destroyed.
Firefighters are battling a fire burning in California.
(Fox News/Jiovanni Lieggi)
STORM ON EAST COAST LEAVES 100,000 WITHOUT POWER, AT LEAST 3 DEAD
A northeast winter storm in January brought blizzard conditions to many areas and left more than 100,000 people without power.
Around the New York City area, snow totals ranged from a few inches in some areas north and west of the city to more than 2 feet in Islip on Long Island, according to the National Weather Service.
Plow in whiteout, East Squantum St. during the snowstorm in Quincy, MA on January 29, 2022.
(Photo by Stan Grossfeld/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
Warren, Rhode Island, got over 2 feet, while Norwich, Connecticut finished with almost 2 feet. Some areas of Maine and New Hampshire also received more than a foot.
ERUPTION OF THE MAUNA LOA VOLCANO: WHAT TO KNOW
Suffolk County Police said an elderly man fell into a swimming pool while shoveling snow in Southhold and was pronounced dead after resuscitation attempts failed. Nassau County officials said two men, ages 53 and 75, died at the Syosset tower while shoveling snow.
EARTHQUAKE IN AFGHANISTA KILL AT LEAST 1,036
A major earthquake in eastern Afghanistan killed some 1,036 people and injured at least 1,500 others in June, the deadliest in 2002, when a magnitude 6.1 temblor killed about 1,000 people.
In this photo released by the state-run Bakhtar news agency, Afghans look at the destruction caused by an earthquake in Afghanistan’s eastern Paktika province, Wednesday, June 22, 2022.
(Bakhtar News Agency via AP)
The 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck the country’s Paktika province, just 10 months after the chaotic withdrawal and departure of most of the international community from the region, complicating efforts to offer relief to the 38 million people. from the country.
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The quake destroyed hundreds of houses in Paktika and dozens were trapped under rubble. Countless buildings were also damaged in Khost province.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
